


The Bearer of Memories

by Plnes



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bill is gonna be kind of OOC until Things happen, M/M, Magic, Magical Accidents, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, dont worry he'll be the Bill we all love soon enough
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 13:29:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7317085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plnes/pseuds/Plnes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Be careful of wandering too deep into the woods,</p><p>old magic, dark secrets and once-demons lurk there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Temple

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, Hi everyone! 
> 
> I've been working on this fanfic since I started my senior year of high school last year, and I've just finally got it planned out to the way I want it. The first few chapters were written many months ago so you may notice a change in writing once I run out of pre-written chapters. 
> 
> The last time I posted a fanfic on the internet was 2011 and it was surprisingly popular amongst that group, but sadly I lost interest. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this one and you all will enjoy!
> 
> Please feel free to critique my writing - I always worry about to many line breaks or too many run on sentences ;w;

It was the first week of summer and one boy was starting off the day like any other; a potentially deadly exploration of the mysteries held deep within the forest. It had been a rather cold morning that day and a thick fog was covering the forest just outside of the Mystery Shack. Though, this weather was not to be unexpected in the small town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Dipper Pines, now 18, had woken up early, his alarm going off at 10 am sharp. He woke with a spring in his step, excited at today's possibilities. He grabbed an outfit quickly before hurrying to the bathroom. He had changed a lot over the years, shooting up in height freshman year. At the time it had left him rather gangly and thin, however he had filled out more as the years went on. Now he was rather fit, muscular but not huge, his shoulders broadened and his facial hair came in, though he often kept himself shaved. That is, when he wasn’t holed up in his room writing the day away. He kept his hair more or less the same over the years however, long periods of reading in less than bad lighting had given him a pair of glasses, but he often went without them.

Dipper turned off the sink as he finished brushing his teeth, and ran his fingers haphazardly through his hair before bounding down the stairs after hurriedly dressing and grabbing his bag filled with supplies that he had packed the night before. His two grunkles, Stanley and Ford were seated at dining table while his twin sister, Mabel, cooked breakfast with the same cheerful air she carried with her since they were kids.

" _Gooood_ morning, Dip Dop!" She called out loudly, much to the dismay of the two older men still downing their first cups of coffee, the pair cringing visibly.

"Morning, Mabes!" he replied with a smile before taking a seat at the table. His sister had grown just as much as he did, she was much taller now, not quite as tall as her brother though. Her figure filled out as well; strong arms and legs that could easily take down any guy twice her size. Her hair was still long and fell down her back in waves. She was wearing a pair of overalls with the bottoms rolled up, buttons and patches covering the surface, with a striped shirt underneath. Her outfit was fun and creative, just like her.

The smell of bacon and eggs filled his nose pleasantly as they were served. Dipper stared down hungrily, pulling a chair out for himself. Once his sister took her seat next to him, he began scarfing down this food in a hurry, causing a laugh from Mabel.

"Someone's an eager beaver!" She giggled out at her brother, taking a few bites of her own meal; a light salad. Dipper paused, fully swallowing before replying.

"It's the first day we can go out and explore, Mabel!" He said, practically wiggling in his seat. Though he had grown older, his childlike excitement over adventure never wavered and he looked forward for days like this.

"Right, adventure..." She laughed out nervously, a hand going to scratch her head, before suddenly becoming engrossed with the salad in front of her, shoving several bites into her mouth. Dipper watched with growing suspicion, his brows furrowing.

"Mabel... Don't tell me you made other plans." Dipper groaned, running a hand across his face in feign annoyance.

"I didn't make other plans." She replied hastily, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Do you mean that?" He replied, squinting at his sister sternly. The seconds ticked by as she chewed, until her eyes flicked up to meet his.

"Eurrrgghh..." She squirmed in her chair, "Okay fine! I made other plans!" She called out quickly.

"I'm to worst sister in the world! Will you ever forgive me?" She called out dramatically, before giving her brother her best puppy dog face, hands clasped together only adding to her theatrics. Dipper watched her, one eyebrow raised as the scene in front of him, before rolling his eyes, a sharp breath leaving his mouth.

"S'okay Mabel, I can't keep you all to myself." he replied with a smile, his twin following with one of her own/

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She yelled, pulling her brother into a tight side hug. She finished off her salad quickly, before picking up her now empty plate and rinsing it as fast as possible. Once finished she gave her brother a kiss on the cheek before bounding up the stairs go to get ready for her own plans, taking them two at a time.

Dipper rolled his eyes once again. He turned forward in his chair, resuming his eating, his attention now on the two older men, preoccupied in their own twin bickering. From the sounds of it, something about a _mysteriously_ broken piece of Ford’s technology.

"Ahem," Dipper cleared his throat loudly, gaining the attention of the two.

”I’ll be gone until later today.." He started, finishing off the last of his plate and standing.

“Ah, another exploration planned today, Dipper?” Ford questioned, watching the boy make his way to the sink. “I would offer to aid you but it _appears_ I’ll be busy today making repairs.” He said, casting a glare to his brother Stanley.

“Hey! I told you I don't know what happened to your nerd stuff!” Stanley bit out, crossing his arms and met his brother with a glare of his own. Dipper chuckled a bit as he turned from the sink, and made his way back to the table, scooping his bag up from where he sat previously.

“Right… I appreciate the offer, grunkle Ford.” Dipper said with a slight smile on his lips. “I promise to tell you all about it when I’m back.” He finished, though he knew the gesture was missed as the two twins started their arguing back up. The boy took this opportunity to make his escape through the front door, calling a quick ‘bye’ as he shut the door behind himself in a hurry.

He heard a faint 'don't break anything' called as he made his way towards the forest. He stopped right at the entrance, taking a deep breath. His eyes scanned the moss covered forest. A few rays of light filtered through the still damp canopy. The air was crisp with the early morning, and there was an exciting energy that buzzed within the trees.

"Adventure!" Dipper called out to no one, throwing a fist in the air, before adjusting his bag of supplies on his back. He took a step into the brush, following a trail he’s come to memorize over the years. Treading deeper and deeper until his faded blue hat could no longer be seen, disappearing amongst the pines.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

It had been many hours later when Dipper stopped. He had been wandering for a while now, much deeper in the forest than usual thanks to his early start this morning. Adding in the breaks he took during the trek he guessed it had to be about 2 pm, confirming with a quick glance to his watch. This time however, Dipper did not stop for a break but rather the large pillar sticking from the ground, covered in moss. The pillar was only slightly shorter than Dipper in height and appeared to be made of some kind of stone. The boy circled it warily before gently touching the surface, never seeing anything with this kind of architecture before within the forest.

"Just a pillar," he confirmed, continuing to mumble to himself, as he sketched its appearance down in his journal. He carried on only a few feet before another pillar could be seen in the distance. Dipper looked around warily, but continued onwards.

This similar pattern carried on for a few minutes before the pillars became more frequent until he found himself surrounded in them. All of which looking rather broken and old, like they've been there for many years. He looked around before stopping dead in his tracks.

"Is that...?" He mumbled, staring wide eyed at what appeared to be the remains of a crumbling temple. It was covered in moss and had the same architecture as the pillars surrounding it. He swallowed thickly before closing the gap between him and the entrance. He paused there, considering his options. He knew it wasn't smart to go into an unknown temple far far away from any civilization with only a day's worth of supplies, but hey, what could go wrong, right?

Dipper entered hesitantly, surveying his surroundings. The temple was empty for the most part, the only thing that stood out was a slightly elevated platform, with a faded pattern carved into the floor of it that he couldn't quite make out. The room itself was slightly reminiscent of a church altar, only much less decorated. Atop the platform was another pillar with a black orb atop it. He moved closer to the orb, noticing the runes deeply carved into it, emitting a golden glow. He circled it, searching for any hint of booby trap, but finding none.

Hesitantly he reached his hand out, fingers lightly grazing of surface, the glowing intensified at his touch, his eyes widened at the reaction. The boy carefully set down his bag and journal, moving now to press both hands to its surface. It was warm to the touch, a slight pulsing could be felt. The ball itself was heavy.

Dipper wasn’t an idiot, and he had seen enough movies to know that there was a strong chance this room was booby trapped. However, Dipper was insanely curious and in the end, that curiosity would always win.

The boy looked around carefully once more before lifting the orb from its spot with a fair bit of effort. He squeezed his eyes closed, slightly cringing as he held the orb, expecting darts to come flying or the door to close in but he found nothing.

 _Now that's just bizarre,_ he thought to himself.

He looked down at the orb once again, it seemed to shiver in his hands, a slight resistance akin to a tugging. The resistance silently pushed him towards the wall behind him, as if the two were tethered together. He moved closer and the pulsing increased. Curiously, he observed the wall, it seemed simple enough, plain even, made from the same grey stone that held up all four other walls of the temple. Investigating closer, he moved to hold the orb under one arm as he pressed his hand to the wall.

Everything happened quickly then, at his touch the wall lit up, the heavy stone moving, rumbling the ground. Dipper stumbled back tripping over his bag, his arm hit the pillar that the mysterious orb previously sat on, that same ball now slipping from his underarm grip. Time seemed to stop as the orb hit the ground with a loud crack. At the same time a dark and thick magic filled the room, the power of it was overwhelming. Dipper's hands flew to his forehead, a searing pain rooting him to the ground and bringing him to his knees.

The pain was _incredible_ , stabbing and throbbing and searing all at once. He could feel his arms burning, a strange ‘fire’ snaking its way up his arm as the world around him went fuzzy. Dipper’s eyes closed involuntarily from the pain, and faintly he heard the rumbling of the room cease before darkness overtook his sense, completely blacking out.


	2. The Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter is a bit longer for you all! I wanted to make the first longer, but I also wanted a nice little cliffhanger ;-) Enjoy the next chapter! I don't know how often I'll update it, I guess just as I get inspired!

 

_ The sun was high in the sky and it was scorching out. The searing pain in my arm distracted me from the heat, however. My makeshift bandage made from the cloth of my now abandoned shirt had been holding up well, but with the amount of blood loss I knew I couldn't keep it up for much longer. I stopped to scan the horizon but there was nothing but the endless desert. I continued on, my mouth was dry and but I had already drank the last of my supply. I knew it was hopeless to carry on, but I had to. I came here with a mission, I couldn’t fail now... _

 

_ It seemed like hours that I walked on and on but there was no change at all. The desert spread out from me in all directions, not a plant in sight, _

 

"Hopeless,"  _ I repeated, tongue peaking out licking uselessly at my chapped lips. _

 

_ I only carried on a few more feet before dropping to my knees in exhaustion. The hot sand stuck to my sweaty skin, and my clothes clung to me. I knew this was the end as I laid down as comfortably as I could, and thought of home. I watched the day turn to night and night into dawn helplessly until finally darkness overtook me... _

 

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

 

Dipper shot up quickly, a loud gasp drawn from his lips and hands going to grasp his arm, panic flooding his system, before realizing he wasn't hurt, he wasn't in the desert, he was... _ where was he? _

 

Blinking twice as he looked around he was unsure how long he was out, memories flooding back to him.

 

Temple, orb, pain.  _ Right.  _

 

The boy stood up warily, trying to get his bearings. He was confused, like his mind got jumbled up and there was an ache in the back of his head. The first thing that got his attention was the newly opened passageway where the once wall had been, the second, was the almost-naked man standing in it, one hand holding himself up on the wall.

 

"Uhh..." Dipper mumbled out, a bit dumbfounded. He looked around hastily now, the movement causing the pain in his head to flare up, but he ignored it, refocusing on the man in front of him. The man looked incredibly out of place, he had dark tan skin, a rather thin looking body, he was a good head shorter than Dipper was. He couldn't help but feel as though the man looked small and fragile, almost as if he could shatter at any moment.

 

The next thing he noticed were the markings that littered his body, though hard to see against his dark skin and some covered by the cloth draped across his body, they appeared to be freckles. Dipper's eyes flickered to the stranger's neck now, where a faint glowing could be seen. He blinked once, then twice.  _ Was that...? _

 

His hand flew to his forehead where the Ursa Major resided. That was definitely the Big Dipper that was glowing softly along the strangers collar. In fact multiple constellations were across the stranger's body, drawn out in freckles. His eyes moved to focus behind the man, from what he could see it appeared to be a fairly short hallway, at the end appeared to be a large slab, presumably where the man had came from.

 

"Who... Who are you?" Dipper said firmly, sounding much more confident than he felt. 

 

The stranger's head snapped  up to the voice addressing him. He opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out, instead his knees wobbled slightly and he shut his eyes tight, falling harshly to his knees on the hard floor. 

 

Dipper stood up carefully, his head still throbbing as he closed the distance between himself and the other.. 

 

"Are you alright man?" He asked softly, extending a hand that hovered just over the man's shoulder, before he thought better and retracted it. The man looked up at him, his eyes appeared glazed over, as if he wasn’t truly present. 

 

"I-I don't...." The dark skinned man slurred out, before his eyes fluttered shut again and his body went lax. 

 

"Woah!" Dipper called out as he stretched down awkwardly to keep his body up right. He shook the man slightly, hoping to wake him to no avail.

 

"Great... Now what?" The boy huffed to himself. There was no way he was to stay here and wait for him to wake, it would surely be dark by then. He considered just leaving the man here but his eyes returned to the constellation adorning his collar, and he swallowed thickly. He stood upright after gently laying the man back careful to avoid any shards of the broken orb. Grabbing his bag, still abandoned by the column, and fully slung the pack over his back and clipped the straps in front. He paused, staring down at the almost nude body before him. 

 

"Well this is going to be awkward." Dipper mumbled to himself, before hooking the stranger's legs over one arm and back cradled in the other. He exhaled loudly with the effort, but once standing he found that the stranger was surprisingly light. He adjusted his grip once more and strode out the temple, glancing up, seeing that the sun was no longer over head. Though he couldn't check his watch now, he estimated that still had 5 hour of sunlight left, but with the clouds starting to approach from the woods he couldn’t be certain. Straightening his back he began to weave away from the field of pillars in the direction he came. And slowly the amount of trees increased and he was back in the dark forest, keeping an eye out for the markers he had left himself on the journey here. 

 

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

 

It had been just over an hour before Dipper took his first break, placing the stranger down in the dirt, his back leaning against the fallen tree Dipper was sitting on. He was currently rummaging through his bag, looking for a snack as well as some kind of clothes for the man, knowing he had a spare set of shorts, somewhere in there.. 

 

"Ahah!" He called out as found them at the bottom of the bag. He stood up holding the clothing in hand and kneeled down in front of the stranger. 

 

It was when Dipper had lifted one leg to slide his foot through the hole when the man’s eyes fluttered open, and a long, rather awkward, moment of eye contact happened before Dipper dropped his foot and jumped back slightly. 

 

"I'm-I'm sorry! I was just- you're naked, so I thought..." The boy cut his rambling short when he noticed the man staring at him intently, a look of confusion and intrigue on his face, causing a faint blush to break out across Dipper's cheeks, before shaking his head.

 

"Can you talk? Can you tell me your name?" Dipper questioned.

 

"I...." The man hoarsely began, before he was cut off by a barrage of coughing, a hand flying up to cover his mouth. Dipper’s eyes widened before he reached over to where he had left his water bottle.

 

"Here... maybe this will help." He offered kindly, a hand subconsciously reaching to his own throat as his dream early of the desert resurfaced. Those thoughts were quickly tucked away as the man grabbed the water bottle and downed it all greedily, as Dipper eyes went wide with worry.

 

"Do you remember what happened?" the boy inquired softly once the dark skinned man had finished, the man gasping, setting the now empty bottle down next to him.

 

The man pondered this briefly before shaking his head no. Dipper summarized what happened hesitantly, worried about causing a reaction from the man. Once he finished the man just looked more confused than ever. Dipper was about to quiz the man more, hundreds of questions bouncing around in his mind before he noticed a faint pitter-patter of rain overhead. 

 

"Shit! We need to get going, it's going to get dark soon and I rather not be stuck in the forest in the pouring rain." Dipper said more to himself than the other man. He tossed the pants to the man as he repackaged his stuff, cramming the entirety of his granola bar in his mouth. He hoisted his bag over his back and clipped it across his chest, turning to the stranger. The man had successfully gotten the shorts on, which were slightly loose on him, and hung low on his hips, but quickly covered as the man cloaked the cloth he had from the temple around his shoulders.

 

"Can you walk?" Dipper asked softly. "It shouldn't be too much longer to the shack, maybe 2 hours?" He questioned, looking up at the now darkened sky. He bit his lip before his eyes went to gauge the man's reaction, but he seemed to be more preoccupied with staying upright, leaning heavily on a nearby tree. Dipper offered him his arm to keep the man steady, as they pair began the rest of their walk back.    
  
Quickly, the forest had grown rather eerie, the rain and clouds blocking out most of the already little light that made it down to the forest bed. Dipper glanced to the man next to him, now walking on his own, albeit slowly.

  
“My sister is going to be so worried…” Dipper mumbled to himself, chewing his lip nervously as he helped the man down a small hill of wet rocks. The ground evened out and the man slowly began to quicken his pace, but it wasn’t near the speed they needed to go to get home in time, and Dipper began to grow antsy. He could take care of himself in the forest but with another person slowing him down…. The man was shivering, the shorts and makeshift shawl doing little to keep his body from getting soaked from shower overhead.    
  


 

“You know… It’d really be easier for me to carry you, it would be faster… and warmer.” Dipper said gently, hoping he didn't offend the man. He slowed, facing the other.   
  
“No… you’re right, it would be smarter…” He said hesitantly, as if he had to think about the correct words to say. It had been the longest sentence Dipper had heard him say yet. He found that the man had a rather high voice, with an almost middle-eastern accent. Dipper wondered where he was from, but the man seemed pretty clueless about this entire situation so he bit his tongue.

 

“Here.” Dipper said, carefully moving to pick the man up bridal style. “Sorry, if I didn’t have the backpack I’d carry you on my back” he said with a lopsided smile, and began walking. The man stayed there quietly, fiddling with the strings of the shorts. 

 

“You know…” he began, “I was rather surprised to find anyone or anything out that far into the forest, and not to be rude, but you don’t exactly look or sound like you’re from the northwest” Dipper finished. The man’s eyes glanced up to meet Dipper’s. They were a warm, light brown, and the boy guessed they might look gold in the right lighting. He cleared his throat, looking back up to the forest where, thankfully, things had began to become familiar.

 

“Do you remember at all how you got to that temple? Why were you there?” Dipper questioned, watching the other. He seemed to shrink in on himself, and drew his arms up to his chest, pulling the fabric tighter around himself.   
  
“All I remember, was it was dark… very dark… it seemed as if it was suffocating me endlessly… and then there was a sharp pain, here,” He pointed to his head, “a-and then I woke on that slab and managed to drag myself to the exit, where I saw you curled over yourself, you seemed like you were in pain.” He finished, though it sounded more like a question, his eyebrows pressed together.    
  
“I-I was, at least, I think I was...” Dipper replied, and was going to carry on before he saw the clearing up ahead, where his home was.    
  
“Ah! We’re almost there! Can you walk the rest?” Dipper asked softly, and set the man down when he got a nod in return. The two walked the remaining way in silence, as the rain got louder as they approached the opening. Once at the edge, a bright yellow sign could be seen, and Dipper sighed in relief, stepping out into the rain, with the man in tow behind him.


	3. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahahahaha chapter 3 after almost 2 years!! //throws confetti  
> (im so sorry)
> 
> I really want to try and get back into writing this, no promises though. 
> 
> I also did some edits in chapter 1 and 2, mostly grammatical stuff, and added some details here and there, but nothing too important. This chapter might be a little weird since half of it I wrote 2 years ago, and the other half just today haha.
> 
> ANyways, enjoy!

The heavy rain poured over head as the pair crossed the clearing hurriedly to the entrance of the Mystery Shack. As Dipper stepped foot on the porch to the front door, the old floorboards creaked underfoot. He paused, before reaching out the the front door knob, uncertain of his fate that resided within, knowing well enough he stayed out much later than he intended.

 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he muttered under his breath, sparing a quick glance to the man behind him, half convinced he’d be gone and it had all been in his imagination. But there he was, still soaked and muddy, his long frizzy hair dripping wet, standing patiently. Dipper glanced back to the door and as he went to turn the knob, the door flew open before him, leaving him stumbling back slightly in shock as another warm body slammed into him.

  
“Dipper Pines!!,” His sister chastised and pulled back slightly, still holding tight onto her brother, “where have you been! When I got home and you weren’t here I knew something was wrong, Ford was about to go track you through the forest if I hadn't covered for-” Her lecture was stopped short as she noticed the man behind her brother, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of him.  
  
“Wh-who is this?” she asked a bit breathlessly, obviously taken off guard as she pulled away from her brother. Dipper bit his lip, exhaling a shaky sigh.  
  
“It’s a bit of a long story…” he started, rubbing his arm. “One I rather explain after we’ve both dried off and warmed up?” He offered, shooting a pleading glance to his sister, to which she nodded slightly in return, but her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Of course, erm, please, come in and dry off, both of you.” she said awkwardly, holding the old creaky door open wider for the pair.

 

Dipper sighed again, allowing the stranger ahead of him, to be pointed to kitchen table by his sister. He went to take a step through the door only to be blocked by his sister’s arm.  
  
“You are explaining this ASAP, mister.” she scolded in a hushed tone and Dipper nodded quickly going to step forward but looked back when her arm did not budge.  
  
“Take your muddy shoes off you’re gonna get the floor dirty.” She scolded again, but her tone was lighter. Dipper rolled his eye at this, but obliged nonetheless, kicking his muddy shoes off and leaving them on the porch.

 

The two of them sat at the kitchen table, the stranger now covered in a blanket, empty tea cups were placed before them. Mabel hummed to herself as she heated the water. It was quiet and Dipper swallowed nervously, unsure what exactly to say. His eyes moved over to the stranger, he sat there patiently and twiddled with his fingers, looking surprisingly at peace with the current situation. Looking closely the man’s face appeared to be covered with a fair amount of dirt and grime, his hands were dirty as well, and his fingernails were long and scraggly as if they hadn’t been cut in weeks.  
  
Dipper’s eyebrows furrowed, _just why was this man in that temple? Who is he? He could be dangerous…_ he thought, but quickly shook his head, he couldn’t be paranoid, the man seemed genuine enough, he hadn’t done anything to put the boy on edge... yet. Still, bringing a random temple man into his home probably wasn’t the smartest move. Dipper bit the inside of his cheek nervously.

 

“So...” Mabel began, pouring tea into the teacups placed at each seat, before setting the kettle down in the middle of the table.  
  
“Why don't you start at the beginning, Dipper.” She said, genuine curiosity laced her voice. Dipper let out a shaky breath, and his eyes darted to the stranger pointedly. Hoping his twin would understand.  
  
“Oh!” she exclaimed after a moment, “I’m sorry, we should take care of you first shouldn’t we?” She rose from her chair, ushering him to stand, bringing his cup with them, Dipper following behind shortly after.  
  
The three walked down the hall to the bathroom, stopping to grab a spare towel from a closet along the way. “Why don't you take a bath in here, I’ll have Dipper bring you some clothing to change into once you’ve settled in. Feel free to drink your tea in the bath.” Mabel said kindly, throwing the man one of her bright smiles before, leading the him into the bathroom. Dipper stood awkwardly behind the two, before his sister ushered him out to get some clothes as she explained how to run the bath to the grime-y man.  
  
Dipper huffed, walking off and up to his room to find some clothes, not really wanting to leave his sister alone with the stranger, but he knew she could handle herself. Shortly after clomping up the stairs, he turned on the light to the attic. The boy groaning a little at the mess of clothes in his room, digging around in his closet to find something that might fit the other’s short and small stature. He settled on one of his more form-fitting shirts, and a pair of pajama bottoms and of course a pair of boxers. He folded them up neatly and marched back down the stairs, passing by his sister now seated at the kitchen once more, waiting expectantly. He avoided the look she gave him and continued on, knocking politely on the bathroom door.  
  
“Come in.” The man’s voice called quietly, a faint slosh of water could be heard with his movement. Dipper opened the door cautiously, glancing to the bath, where, thankfully, the curtain had been drawn. But still the faint outline of the man seated in the bath could be seen. He had his knees drawn up to his chest, Dipper noted.

 

“I-I brought you clothes, I’ll set them here on the counter.” Dipper said, placing the stack on the counter, and turned to leave quickly.  
  
“Wait…! um…” The stranger called out quickly, a slender arm popping out from behind the curtain. “I forgot the soap your sister left, could you hand me it…?” He asked hesitantly. Dipper stopped, his eyes landing on the bar of soap, still in it’s packaging on the counter. He grabbed it, unwrapping and handed it to the outstretched arm.

 

“Thank you.” he said genuinely, and the arm retreated again, but not before he caught sight of what looked to be the constellation of Sagittarius on his forearm. Dipper huffed out a vague confirmation before turning to leave once again, shutting the door softly behind him.  
  
He stopped though, opting leaning against the bathroom door, his eyes sliding shut as he let out a long sigh. _This whole situation is beyond weird, I can’t get over how unfazed he’s acting…_ Dipper shook the thought from his again once again, standing up straight and heading towards to kitchen to a rather eager looking Mabel, knowing well enough he’d have to recount the earlier events for the second time today.

 

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

 

 _Scrub, scrub, scrub._  
  
Furiously scrubbing off what felt like years of grime and dirt from his body, sat one man alone in a bathtub.  
  
_Scrub, scrub, scrub._ _  
__  
_ His skin felt raw and for once, clean. Sighing, he let his head loll to one side, staring at the now murky water that swirled around his body.  
  
_Splash, splash._ _  
__  
_ He pulled his legs up to his chest, hugging them close. Screwing his eyes shut he felt overwhelmed at everything that happened over the past few hours. His body ached from the early journey, his head throbbed, and no matter how hard he thought he had no idea what was going on, who he was, why he was here.  
  
_Shock._ _  
__  
_ He was in shock, denial, perhaps he had even shut down a little. He was worn out, for however long he slept for encased in that dark tomb he didn't get an ounce of rest. Sighing, the man opened his eyes once more, the water had grown cold. He pulled the plug just as the girl had told him earlier. He watched the water go down the drain.  
  
_Swirl._  
  
The water swirled and swirled down the pipes, the more he watched the woozier he got. Opting to stand rather than watch this dizzy dance any longer, the man got to his feet shakily. One foot and then the other, he made his way out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapped it around his thin body hurriedly before drying himself.  
  
For the first time he looked up at himself in the mirror. A warm tan face stared back at him, his face was soft, yet angular, feminine and masculine all at once. His hair was _long_ and reached down to his back, black and silky. His eyes were a golden amber, he thought that once perhaps they might’ve been sharp and piercing, but right now his eyes were wide and _scared._ Tearing his eyes away he let his eyes trail further down his body, noting hundreds of freckles sprinkled across his body. Now that the grime was gone, they were easily visible against his honey skin. Long fingers trailed across one string of freckles in particular, glowing faintly against his neck.  
  
He bit his lip, he was sure that the formation was important but the origin was lost on him, like most things.  
  
Shaking his head and grabbing the clothes that the boy, Dipper, set aside for him, he dressed himself now. The more he stared at himself the more confusion arose in his mind and he was eager to go back to the boy from earlier, someone who might be able to give him some answers. But more than that, he was eager to get some rest. He let out a shaky breath and he grabbed the doorknob and twisted.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

  
Dipper sat alone in the kitchen, sighing deeply as he cast a glance at the bathroom door. He had heard the drain a couple minutes ago, but now the room had gone quiet. His sister Mabel went off to her room earlier, leaving him to wait for their unexpected guest by himself. Though she promised she would be there in a heartbeat if he called for her, knowing how deeply she slept he wasn’t exactly reassured.  
  
He remembered watching as her eyes went wide as he recounted his day to her, concern clearly evident on her face as she spouted out a hundred questions. Questions he didn’t have answers to, yet.  
  
_Who was this guy exactly?_ He thought, becoming so engrossed in theories and the questions he would have to ask that he didn’t even notice as light flooded from the bathrosom as the door was opened, and uncertain footsteps were taken over to him.  
  
“Uh…” The voice called out, snapping Dipper from his thoughts.  
  
“Oh! I’m sorry I was just… thinking.” The boy said hesitantly, taking a moment to look up at the person next to him. Blinking a few times he noticed just how different the guy looked without all the caked on dirt, eyes looking him up and down before settling on the end Ursa Major that was speckled across the man’s neck. Noticing this they cleared their throat, face flushing a few shades darker, and dipper swore the mark grew brighter before it was covered by a hand. The man refusing to meet his eyes as Dipper looked up at his face now, only noticing now how uncomfortable he looked because of Dipper’s staring.  
  
“Right.” Dipper called out suddenly, “I’m sure you’re probably tired, I know I am haha” he laughed out awkwardly. The guy in front of him only nodding slightly in response, still looking away.  
  
“Um, you’ll have to sleep in my room, I’d offer the couch but I worry one of my uncles might think you’re some kind of.... thief or something” He finished lamely, making his way towards his room now as the shorter man followed behind.  
  
“You can sleep in my bed though, I’ll just sleep on the floor. I have a sleeping bag _somewhere_ …” Dipper mumbled. Making his way to his door he opened it before flipping the lights on. He cursed under his breath at how messy his room still was. Papers and books littered every surface. A few now empty coffee cups took up residence throughout the room and the floor itself was covered in clothes. Dipper scowled to himself, but the man next to him looked unfazed. Instead their sight seemed to fall on a poster Dipper had on the wall, a mirage of stars and constellations. One of many maps and charts that covered Dipper's walls. Walking further into his room the boy began searching for this hidden sleeping bag of his, only after pointing the bed out to his guest.  
  
Shortly after becoming lost in the mess of his closet, somehow making the room even more of a disaster than before, Dipper _finally_ pulled out a sleeping bag. Unrolling it and setting it up on the floor. He paused briefly, looking over at the man in his room, still staring intently at the starmap on his wall. They were now seated on the edge of his bed, a blanket pulled around himself. Clearing his throat, the stranger paused, looking over at him.  
  
“You should get some sleep, I’ll turn the light off.” Dipper said softly, getting an eager nod in reply. Dipper smiled faintly before flicking the light off. Though the room still faintly lit, the moon casting blue-white light through the window.  
  
“Good night.” Dipper called out quietly, settling down into his sleeping bag. He peaked over to the bed, noting the man had already covered himself in blankets, back turned to him.  
  
Staring up at the ceiling, hundreds of thoughts ran through Dipper’s head. Though his body was worn out, and sleep constantly crept on the fringes of his consciousness, he knew getting any restful sleep would be a feat on it’s own. He sighed, pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes. It was going to be a long night, and an even longer day tomorrow.


End file.
